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Age Groupers Sparkle in St. Croix

Inside the age group race at Captain Morgan IRONMAN 70.3 St. Croix.

by Barry Siff

The IRONMAN 70.3 event, which has taken place for 26 years now in St. Croix, attracts people from all over the world to tackle one of the toughest courses on the circuit. To put in perspective how difficult it is, consider this: IRONMAN 70.3 St. George is thought to be a very challenging, hilly and demanding course. If you compare the winning times at the two, the men went 3:45 in St. George and 4:07 in St. Croix, while the women went 4:09 in St. George and 4:30 in St. Croix. Both races had stellar, high-end, pro fields.

The heat, humidity, hills and wind in St. Croix can only be compared to one other place-Kona, the site of the IRONMAN World Championship. It is the challenge of this iconic race that brings many to St. Croix the first weekend of May each year, although qualifying slots for the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships don’t hurt. Once here, though, it is the stunning beauty of the island and the wonderful and welcoming locals who make the experience so special. This is why people like three-time Champion, Tim O’Donnell, and multiple IRONMAN World Champions Mirinda Carfrae and Craig Alexander consider this one of their favorite places to race and visit. Former pros Wendy Ingraham and Ken Glah make the pilgrimage annually, and their experiences go well beyond simply the race.

At the awards banquet both winning professionals, O’Donnell and first-time champion, Radka Vodickova, lauded the locals, the stunning scenery and the wonderful home stays provided to them.

The age group athletes feel the same way. Like the pros, the day after the race, many age groupers took a jaunt over to the incredible snorkeling Mecca of Buck Island, or simply enjoyed a relaxing day on the beach. Eclectic shops and cool places to eat are plentiful in Christiansted, as well. And, based on my conversations with more than one family attending the race with kids, the island and the spectacular atmosphere is very "kid friendly."

Highlights from the day

Thanks to the Kona and Mont-Tremblant qualifying slots, St. Croix annually attracts some of the top age group athletes in the world. This year was no exception. Kona regulars dominated the awards stage, including an incredible display of talent in the women’s 55 to 59 age group. The top three women were brought up for their awards and invites to Kona and Mont-Tremblant, led by perennial Kona champion or runner-up, Ellen Hart. There was one Kona slot and, remarkably, all three ladies had already secured their ticket to the big dance prior to this weekend. When awards emcee, Dave Ragsdale, did the roll down, not one of the remaining four finishers were there! As a result the Kona slot was added to women’s 40 to 44 category and promptly snatched up.

Dave Harju, 49, did his first triathlon on Sunday ... as an age grouper. A long-time pro and two-time IRONMAN Wisconsin champion from Canada, Dave recognizes his days of racing the 20 and 30 year olds are over, and was actually quite excited about racing as an age grouper. The differences he found? The first was in the swim.

"I started out in our wave with two other guys and we were together until we caught up with the age groupers who went off ahead of us and, I lost them. With the pros, you don’t have that," explained Harju after the race. Harju went 4:40:53 to win the men’s 45 to 49 age group by just over 10 minutes.

Mauren Solano, a bubbly, happy 19-year-old from Costa Rica, produced the fastest female age group time of the day, 5:09:29, which would have placed her ninth among the professional women. Still a student and also working part-time, Solano has already racked up four IRONMAN 70.3 wins and is looking forward to heading to Kona.

On the other end of the spectrum was Cherie Gruenfeld competing in her new age group, women’s 70 to 74. If you ever wanted to appreciate the many benefits of staying fit and being a triathlete, meet Cherie. She is heading to Kona for the 20th ime in October. Gruenfeld is a true competitor, not "simply' a participant. While she says she is frustrated that she can no longer do the times she used to do, she will keep on competing 'as long as I am racing, not just slugging it out till the finish line. And, that day’s not yet," says the Californian legend. She also gives back to the sport by heading up a program called "Exceeding Expectations," which serves "an inner-city population [and] is designed to encourage at-risk kids to move their lives in a positive direction, using the sport of triathlon," according to the event website. (eefoundation.org)

How about "all-everything," Adam Zucco? The 39-year-old from Illinois was the first overall amateur in 4:31:58, good enough to tie him with the 10th place professional male. Zucco is Joe Friel’s partner at Training Bible Coaching. He is coached by U.S. Olympian (2000), Ryan Bolton, while he coaches U.S. ITU standout and 2013 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Champion, Ben Kanute. This was Zucco’s fourth trip to St. Croix and his result ensures he'll be competing in Kona for the eighth year in a row.

What great event doesn’t end with a love story? When Cristi DeDoes of Kalamazoo, Michigan crossed the finish line, she was ecstatic. Her boyfriend, Zach Novak, was there to greet her, having already finished the race. He hugged her, kissed her, placed her finisher’s medal around her neck, then reached into the back pocket of his race jersey, pulled out a box and proposed. DeDoes went from happy to overjoyed immediately.

Barry Siff had an enjoyable time taking on the “Beast” himself this year. He is on the Timex, PowerBar, and Tri Bike Transport Elite Teams, as well as President of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors. He lives in Boulder and Tucson with Jodee and Jackpot.